That's So Raven is an Americansupernaturalteen sitcomtelevision series. It debuted on the Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, and ended its run on November 10, 2007. The show spawned Disney Channel's first spin-off series, Cory in the House. The series was nominated in 2005 and 2007 for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children's Programming.[1]
The show was set in San Francisco and revolved around teenager Raven Baxter, played by Raven-Symoné, her friends Eddie (Orlando Brown) and Chelsea (Anneliese van der Pol), her family members; mother Tanya Baxter (T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh) father Victor Baxter (Rondell Sheridan) and brother Cory (Kyle Massey). The title character drew on her psychic powers, ingenuity, and talent as a fashion designer as well as a variety of disguises to get into and out of amusing adolescent and pre-adolescent situations.
Reruns of episodes aired on the ABC Kids Saturday morning segment of Disney-owned ABC broadcast network in the United States until August 27, 2011, when the block was discontinued. No announcement was made as to whether the show would get complete season releases on DVD. That's So Raven garnered higher ratings than any other Disney Channel show.[2]
- 1Production
- 2Episodes
- 3Characters
- 5Merchandise
- 7VHS and DVD releases
Production[edit]
The name for the main character changed several times prior to production, starting with Dawn Baxter in a show named The Future Is on Me. Names changed to Rose Baxter in a show called Absolutely Psychic but finally settling on Raven Baxter when actress Raven-Symoné won the lead part, with the show titled That's So Raven. Symoné originally auditioned for the role of the best friend, Chelsea, but was changed due to ratings. Raven-Symoné was credited simply as 'Raven' throughout the series.
The show filmed a special pilot episode on April 12, 2001 and the first season was filmed from November 9, 2001 – June 2002.[3]The first season premiered on Family Channel in Canada in December 2001, on Disney Channel UK in September 2002 and in the United States on January 2003.
That's So Raven was responsible for many firsts for Disney Channel: the series was the highest-rated series in the history of Disney Channel and the first series to garner more than three-million viewers; the third longest-running original series in Disney Channel history, the first Disney Channel series to reach 100 episodes, the first Disney Channel series to produce a spinoff (Cory in the House) and one of the first three live action original series, where the lead and most of the supporting main characters are minorities (The Famous Jett Jackson and Cory in the House being the others).
Raven’s Home is a popular Disney Channel revival series that follows Raven and Chelsea, who were best friends since they were younger as seen in That’s So Raven. The two are together once. That's So Raven. Raven Baxter is a typical teenager who just happens to be psychic. The only problem is that Raven's sneak peeks into the future can make her (and her best friends Eddie and Chelsea) jump to the wrong conclusions. Somehow, they manage to create more comedic problems than they solve! Release Date: 2003.
In addition, it was also the first Disney Channel sitcom to be shot on videotape, to use a multi-camera format, to be shot in front of a studio audience or use a laugh track,[citation needed] and to use the simulated film look created by FilmLook, Inc. (all of which has become standard on all Disney Channel comedies, though a 'filmized' appearance was given to all of the channel's videotaped sitcoms produced from 2009 onward, as the live-action Disney Channel Original Series begin being produced in high definition).
The first three seasons were produced by Brookwell McNamara Entertainment. The company later left at the end of season 3, being replaced by Warren & Rinsler Productions. Raven-Symoné then received a producer credit for the show's fourth and final season, with the credit being called 'That So Productions'. It became the first Disney Channel series to create a spin-off, Cory in the House, which followed her younger brother, Cory, as his dad became the head chef for the President of the United States, causing the two of them to move to Washington, D.C.
In the fourth season of That's So Raven and on Cory in the House, Victor states that Tanya (T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh) is in England as a lawyer. The show shot its final few episodes in January 2006, but they weren't all aired until a year later, with the series finale airing in March 2007 and the second-to-last episode shown that November.
Opening sequence[edit]
The show's title theme song was written by John Coda, who also composed the music cues to signify scene changes and commercial breaks for this series as well as Even Stevens. It was produced by Jeffrey 'Def Jef' Fortson and Christopher B. Pearman and was performed by Raven-Symoné, Annelise van der Pol and Orlando Brown.
Each season had opening credits composed of footage from the episodes of that season. Each season also made an exception to the guideline by showing footage from the previous seasons, most of the time when it was needed. For example, if footage being shown was of the characters dancing, then footage of a character or characters would be shown. When originally broadcast, season two followed the guideline, but when season three began airing, the opening credits from season two were inexplicably replaced with the opening credits from season three for daytime network rebroadcasts and subsequent syndication.
Each opening sequence, before going to the title card, always ended with the main cast being together (in clips that were not part of any episode). Seasons one, two, and three were of the Baxters sitting on their living room couch, and season four was of the Baxters (with the exception of Tanya), Eddie, and Chelsea coming down the Baxters' living room stairs.
At the end of the opening credits, Raven stands next to the title card and says, 'Yep, that's me.' This remained in season four, except with a new addition. Raven's catchphrase'Oh, Snap!' was dubbed in right before she says, 'Yep, that's me.'
Raven-Symoné performs most of the theme, while Brown performs a rap near the end of the theme and some scattered vocals in the beginning of the theme. Anneliese van der Pol sings the show's title in the chorus. A full-length version of this theme was heard in a music video which aired a few months before the show's U.S. premiere and also can be heard on the show's first soundtrack, released in 2004.
In Disney Channel Asia, an Asian version[clarification needed] of the show's theme song was made. The music video debuted on January 17, 2007, back-to-back with the 100th episode of That's So Raven. It also aired in China on CCTV as 那是因此掠夺.[
| That's So Raven | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Michael Poryes Susan Sherman |
| Starring | Raven Orlando Brown Kyle Massey Anneliese van der Pol T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh Rondell Sheridan |
Some of The Walt Disney Company’s most beloved ventures are the television shows that dominated the Disney Channel in the 2000s. From Hilary Duff’s Lizzie McGuire to Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana, Disney’s leading broadcasting platform brought many fan-favorite characters to worldwide fame.
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Another hugely popular television show on the Disney Channel was Raven-Symoné’s, That’s So Raven, which ran from 2003-2007. The supernatural sitcom saw Raven-Symoné in the title role while Kyle Massey played Raven’s brother, Cory Baxter. In rather unsettling news, Massey has just been charged with a felony.
Massey starred in That’s So Raven for all four years of the television series being on air, before leading his own spinoff for the Disney Channel, Cory in the House — the actor and rapper starred in every episode of the original sitcom along with Raven-Symoné. Acting also runs in the family with Massey’s brother being Zoey 101‘s Christopher Massey.
The report of his charges come two years after the actor was sued for allegedly sending explicit images and text messages to a minor.
Per Variety:
Kyle Massey, who starred on the Disney Channel shows “That’s So Raven” and “Cory in the House” in the 2000s, has been charged with one count of immoral communication with a minor, according to court documents filed in June.
The report reveals the detail of Massey’s charges, and the history behind the case which began in 2019 when the former Disney Channel star was sued:
The felony charge was filed on June 14 in King County, Wash. The charge comes after Massey was sued in early 2019 for allegedly sending explicit photos, texts and videos to a 13-year-old girl.
Variety goes on to describe the lawsuit that Massey had become entangled with:
The lawsuit was for intentional infliction of emotional distress, harmful matter sent with intention of seducing a minor, attempting to commit a lewd act with a minor and annoying or molesting a minor.
The 2019 lawsuit, which saw the unnamed girl and her family sue Massey, explained the events leading up to her suing him. Per Variety:
In the lawsuit, the unnamed girl alleged she met Massey when she was four years old and kept in touch with him because she was interested in a career in entertainment. According to the lawsuit, Massey became close with the girl’s family and indicated that she should move from Seattle to Los Angeles to live with him and his girlfriend in Los Angeles.
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The lawsuit suggests that Massey had instilled himself into the family unit, and communication between the alleged victim and Massey increased when the former allegedly became interested in a Disney Channel reboot:
The girl and her mother alleged in the lawsuit that Massey “held himself out as a father figure” to the girl, and contact increased in November 2018 after the girl indicated she was interested in a role on a rebooted version of “Cory in the House.”
At this time, there has been no official statement about a Cory in the House reboot from any Disney sources:
About a month later, Massey allegedly requested to be the girl’s friend on Snapchat, and shortly after sent her “numerous sexually explicit text messages, images and videos.”
The report concludes by stating that the girl is suing Massey for “at least $1.5 million”.
The court documents allegedly report that Massey failed to show for his arraignment on Monday, June 28, and the actor has yet to issue a statement on the lawsuit and the subsequent charge.
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While it must be noted that Massey hasn’t been part of a Disney project since Fish Hooks in 2014, the actor played a huge role in the popular Disney sitcom, That’s So Raven, leading to masses of fans across the four years in which the television show was on the air. Massey’s spinoff series, Cory in the House, ran from 2007-2008.
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Cory in the House marked a Disney Channel first, with the sitcom being the first spinoff of a Disney Channel Original. The series followed Massey’s character, Cory Baxter, as he moved with his father to Washington D.C. but ultimately only lasted for 34 episodes. Despite it being part of the Disney family, Cory in the House has yet to find a home on the company’s leading streaming platform, Disney+. That’s So Raven, as well as other Disney Channel favorites, can already be found on the service.
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This led to Massey calling out Disney+ for the lack of Cory in the House in its immense Disney library. After, this recent charge and earlier controversy regarding the lawsuit, it seems unlikely that Disney will add Massey’s show to the streaming platform.
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Keep in mind though, that Disney hasn’t made any statement about not including Cory in the House on Disney+ and that Massey’s departure from the Disney studio years ago means they may not offer to comment on the situation.
Are you shocked to hear this news regarding Kyle Massey?